During the second Test in Melbourne, a close-up photo showed Khawaja’s shoes with his daughters’ names taped to them. Despite wanting to put a sticker with a black dove and the words 01:UDHR (referring to Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) on his bat and shoes, the International Cricket Council (ICC) denied Khawaja permission. He had faced a similar situation in the first Test in Perth when he couldn’t wear shoes with slogans like “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” due to ICC rules against messages related to politics, religion, or race. Khawaja, expressing frustration on Instagram, wished everyone Merry Christmas and used hashtags like #inconsistent and #doublestandards. Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley noted Khawaja’s passion for human rights.

“We supported Usman with an application (to the ICC) which really felt non-partisan, non-religious, apolitical,” he told broadcaster ABC of Khawaja’s bid to wear the dove symbol.

“Equally, the ICC has its regulations and they are there for good reason so we have to respect those.

“But I think the main way we deal with this (type of issue) is through good communication and working together.”

Last week, Khawaja spoke about how the Israel-Hamas conflict had affected him.

“When I’m looking at my Instagram and seeing innocent kids, videos of them dying, passing away, that’s what hit me the hardest,” he said.

“I just imagine my young daughter in my arms … I get emotional talking about it again. I don’t have any hidden agendas.”